Aston Villa's Scott Sinclair has admitted to the Mirror that the arrival of former Barcelona attacker Adama Traore is the type of transfer he would have expected to see at his previous club Manchester City.

Due to a lack of fitness, the Spanish youngster is yet to feature for the club's senior side, although he has made his debut for the under-21 side in a 1-0 victory over Derby County.

His arrival at Villa Park has been greeted with a tremendous sense of intrigue, although the supporters will have to wait a little longer to see him action, as he looks set to miss out ahead of the club's visit to Crystal Palace.

When asked if Traore’s arrival was the standard of high signing usually only associated with clubs like his former employers - and predicted title contenders - Manchester City, Sinclair replied:

“Yeah definitely. But hey, it’s exciting for the club. To sign a player from Barcelona just shows the club is moving forward," he told the Mirror.

“I’m sure Adama had many other options to go elsewhere."

“It’s great for Aston Villa football club that we can attract and sign that quality of player.”

Indeed, as Sinclair infers, this type of coup is a tremendous sign of both Aston Villa and the Premier League's pulling power.

In recent years the club's have missed out on a number of targets as the top-flight’s high-profile clubs offer bigger wages and a greater chance of success,

However, for a Barcelona kid, tipped to be one of the most talented players in Europe, to join the club who finished 17th - once place spot away from relegation - in the English top-flight last term is quite a statement.

It is testament to the work of the club officials - in particular, the relatively inexperienced Tim Sherwood - in their efforts to sell the Villa vision to their potential new arrivals.

Chris Linnell

Chris is a freelance football writer from Wiltshire, England. He is currently studying Modern History and Politics at the University of Liverpool. He has written for various other sites, including the Boot Room and Bleacher Report. His work has also featured on Eurosport.